Method for extracting fruit and vegetable juices



July 14, 1942. R. B. MGKINNls v 2,., 289445 METHOD FOR EXTRAGTING FRUIT AND VEGETABDE ,QUIGES Filed Jan.`22. 1940 2 sheets-shawl i' Hin @Imam R. B.' McKxNNls METHOD `Fon EXTnAci-.NG Fnuknn-ves'rnw Juxcrss v July 14, l1942.

Filed Jan. :22, 1940 2 snets-vsnet 2 www5/wmv@ `and for the output.

Patented July 14, 1942 NUNITED sTAITEs- PATENT OFFICE Miz'rnopy Fon EXTRACTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLE'JUICES Ronald B. McKinnis, Winter Haven, Fla., assignor to Sunshine Foods, Inc., Winter Haven, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application .anuary- 22, 1940, Serial No. 315,117

My invention relates to a process and apparatus 7 Claims.

for extracting juice from fruits and vegetables.

' In extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables my desire is to prevent oxidation of the juice by atmosphericI oxygen. In order to accomplish this I perform the extracting operation in a nonoxidizing atmosphere in an extracting chamber.

The fruit is passed into the extracting chamber through a seal to prevent access of oxygen. Waste from the extracting chamber, such as hulls of the fruit or vegetables, is passed through an outlet seal likewise to prevent access of atmospheric oxygen 'to the extracting chamber. Ordinarily I employ liquid seals for both the input In order to deliver fruit or vegetables from the input seal, I have heretofore employed a mechanical conveying mechanism. In the present invention instead of a conveyor vI employ a moving stream of water in the input seal which carries the starting material, such as oranges, through the seal. Means may be provided for lifting the oranges from the seal into the extracting chamber.

The overflow from theinput seal can be employed to move the wastematerial from the output seal. Excess water is drained from the surface of the fruit through the operation of a I l specially constructed feeding chute.

put seal to help move the waste material from the output seal. W

y Another object of theinvention'is to provide a new form of feeding chute forkth'e fruit or vegetables extracted.v

Yet another object'of theinvention is to .provide a form of lifting mechanism to remove the fruit or vegetablesfrom the input seal for delivery to the extracting chamber.

Other objects will be apparent from the ensuing description.

VIn the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through one form of my apparatus; v

Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,1okingiri the direction of the arrows;v

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional Aview taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, vand showing the'construction of the feeding trough.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a juice extracting chamber I in which the juice of fruit or vegetables is extracted in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. Preferably I employ an inert gas in the extracting chamber I, such as carbon dioxide,

nitrogen, a combination of the two, or other inert gases. In order to prevent contamination of the atmosphere in the extracting chamber I with atmospheric oxygemI have shown a liquid-input seal 2 and liquid output seals 3.

The liquid input seal is adapted to receive a -fruit or vegetable from which the juice is to be extracted. In the present instance for the purpose of illustration, I have shown oranges which are in the process of being extracted. On a support 4 is mounted an input tube 5 which is inlined, and in which there is adapted to exist a 4 the arrow, into a section I2 of the seal 2, from which the oranges are adapted 'to be raised and passed to the extracting chamber I. Y

In the section I2 of the input seal is a rotating feeding element I3 having three series of circumferentially aligned feeding apertures I4 formed vin the surface thereof which are 'adapted to pass the oranges as indicated in Fig. 1. Upon rotation of the element I3 in a direction indicated by the arrow, the oranges are passed upwardly, sliding along a baille I5, and are delivered into a. feeding chute I6. The feeding chute I6 (see Fig. 3) is provided with three runways I'I corre-l sponding to the three sets of apertures |4. The oranges pass down the runways I1, whichv are V- shaped in cross sectional configuration to center the oranges, and roll over an aperture I8 formed in each ofthe troughs I1. This permits the excess water to. drain from the surface of the oranges. The water -is discharged' through the apertures I8 onto a plate I9 and ows thence onto guide plates 20 which are adapted receive. the hulls of the oranges which have/f' been extracted. l l The details of the extracting mechanism for the oranges is not shown in detai1,as this construction forms no part of the present invention.

It is 'suiiicient for illustrative purposes only to indicate that there are two rollers ZI having three rows ofreceiving pockets 22 therein .which are adapted to receive three rows of oranges delivered from the chute I6. The rollers are adapted to travel in the direction indicated by the arrows and to carry the oranges downwardly over a cutting knife 23 where the oranges are divided into halves. These halves are prevented from falling from the pockets 22 by means of guiding surfaces 24. When the cut halves of the oranges have passed over the lower end of the guiding surfaces 24, they are engaged by extractor members 25 which are screw-threaded into supports 26 formed in rotating drums 21. The juice is pressed from the oranges by meansof the extractor members 25 `(see Fig. 1).

Upon further rotation of the drums 2| and 21, the hulls are delivered to the downwardly sloping plates 28 from which the hulls are delivered into discharge tubes 28 whose ends 29 lie below the surface of the water in troughs 38. The hulls pass downwardly beyond the'lower edge 29 of the tubes 28 and are discharged into the water 3| in the troughs 38. There is a motion of the water 3| which whips the hulls in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, to some suitable discharge.

ting a valve 5| in the line 33 and opening the water inlet valve 58. A valve 52 in a juice outlet line 53 is shut. The juice outlet line enters the lowermost point of a sloped bottom construction 54 of the extracting chamber I, in which bottom is adapted to collect the extracted juice from the' oranges. A vent valve 55 is opened in a vent line 55 at the top of the apparatus. The bottom of discharge tubes 28 can be closed by cover plates (not shown). The apparatus will then ll withwater and when it is full the vent line 55 is closed by valve 55 and the valve 58 in the water inlet line 49 is closed. Inert gas is admitted through a line 56 controlled by a valve 51 into the top of the apparatus. Valve 52 is opened in juice line 53 and the cover plates (not shown) are removed from the bottom of the discharge tubes 28. The water is then drawn out of the apparatus and is replaced by inert gas through the inert gas inlet line 56 until the water levels as indicated in Fig. 1 are established.

The water in the troughs 38 is given the necessary directional ow, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2,- by discharge of overflow from the input seal 2 through an overflow pipe 32 mounted on the upwardly inclined wall II of the input conveyor 2. This overflow pipe 32 is adapted to have a water level in it corresponding to the water level 6. The overflow pipe 32 discharges' through a line 33 and header connections 34 into each of the troughs 38, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 2.

The extractor mechanisms and rotating conveyor element I3 are given the necessary rotation by means of a drive chain 35 which com'- municates with some suitable source of power, not shown, and which passes over a sprocket wheel 38 and drives a shaft 31 for rotating one of the drums 21. The shaft 31 turns a gear 38 which meshes with a gear 39 mounted on a shaft 40 for turning one of the drums 2|. The gear 39 is meshed with a gear wheel 4| mounted on a shaft 42 for driving the other drum 2|.

The gear wheel 4| meshes with a gear 43 which drives a shaft 44 for one of the drums 21. Thus the drums 2| and 21 are geared together to turn in a predetermined manner, thus synchronizing the operation of the extracting mechanisms in the extracting chamber I. This extracting mechanism should also be synchronized with the elevating drum I3 which is adapted to remove the oranges from the water seal 2. This is accomplished by a chain drive 45 which passes over a sprocket on the shaft 44 and over a sprocket on a shaft 45 with which the elevating drum I3 is adapted to rotate.

In order to urge forward the oranges under the baie 9 formed in the input seal 2, I have provided means for directing the water in a stream under the baille 9. To accomplish this I have provided a header 41 which directs a plurality of streams of water through nozzles 48. The header 41 communicates with Van input water line 49 controlled by a valve 58.

In order to start the apparatus in operation, it is desirable to purge out all atmospheric air from the apparatus. Preferably I flood the apparatus first with water and then withdraw the water, permitting inert gas to enter in place of the water. This can be accomplished by shut- The valve 52 in the juice discharge line 53 is then closed; the valve 5| in the overflow line 33 is opened; and the valve 50 in the water inlet line 49 is opened.

Thus the flow of water through the inlet liquid seal is established, the overflow water passing down into troughs 38 through the discharge line 33 and branch lines 34.

Power is then supplied through drive chain 35 to rotate the drums. Oranges are admitted into the tube 5 and pass, as'indicated by the arrows, through the input water seal being elevated by the rotating drum I3, into feed trough I6 through the cutting operation between rollers 2| and the extracting operation through the action of extracting plungers 25 on the rollers 21. The hulls are discharged over plates 28 and ow through discharge plates 29 into the water seals, the hulls being swept out, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, by reason of the flow of water in the ,troughs 38 generated through the overflow from the input seal passing down'through discharge f pipe 33 into troughs 38.

When suflicient juice has been collected in the bottom of the extracting chamber I, control valve 52 is opened and juice is withdrawn through the discharge line 53. the oranges is discharged, as previously indicated, through apertures I 8 formed in the troughs I1, the water passing over plate I9 and down through one of the discharge tubes 28. If desired a slight excess of inert gas over atmospheric pressure can be maintained in the extracting chamber I by admitting inert gas at slightly greater than atmospheric pressure through gas input line 55.

It is to be understood that in the usual prac- I tice the non-oxidized juice flowing through disvshowing of the'priorart,

lI claim:

1. A method of extracting juice from fruit and vegetables comprising passing the starting material in a stream of moving liquid forming a seal into an 'extracting zone where the juice is extracted in the presence of inert gas.

2. A method of extracting juice from fruit and vegetables comprising passing the starting material in a stream of moving liquid forming a seal The excess water fromA into an extracting zone where the juice is extracted therefrom in an atmosphere of one or more inert gases.

3. A process for treating fruit and vegetables to extract juice therefrom comprising passing them through a liquid seal in whichthey are carried along by a moving stream of liquid and delivering them to an extracting step in an atl mosphere of inert gas. y

4. A method of extracting juice from fruit and vegetables comprising passing the starting material in a stream of moving liquid forming a seal into an extracting zone where the juice is charging the hulls through a liquid seal.

5. A process for treating fruit and vegetables to extract juice therefrom comprising passing them'through a liquid seal in which they are carried along by a moving stream of liquid and delivering them to an extracting step where juice is extracted therefromin the presence of inert gas, and discharging the hulls through a liquid seal.

6. A method for extracting juice from fruit and vegetables comprising feeding the fruit or vegetables to an extracting zone where the juice is extracted in the presence of inert gas, the

` feeding being effected through a liquid seal by movement of a stream of water in the seal, the

fruit being raised from the liquid in the seal at the inner end of the seal for delivery to the extracting zone.

7. A method for extracting juice from fruits x and vegetables comprising feeding the fruit or 'extracted in the presence of inert gas, and disvegetables to an extracting zone where the juice RONALD B. MCKINNIS. 

